Herbs, perennial, 23-90 cm tall, rarely caespitose; rhizomes ± woody. Stems erect, simple, ± striate, sparsely to densely villous, densely minutely stipitate glandular. Leaves cauline, somewhat reduced upward, base sometimes marcescent, both surfaces villosulous, sparsely to densely minutely stipitate glandular, margin serrate to serrulate, villosulous-ciliate, midvein prominent, more so abaxially, apex mucronulate; lowest leaves withered by anthesis, broadly winged petiolate, petiole base auriculate; blade oblanceolate, obovate, or oblong, base attenuate, apex obtuse; lower to upper leaves sessile, obovate or oblong to oblanceolate, sometimes pandurate, 1.5-7 × 0.4-1.5 cm, base auriculate, clasping, apex obtuse to acute (upper leaves); synflorescence leaves narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 1-4.5 × 0.1-0.9 cm, margin serrulate to entire. Capitula 2-23, in terminal corymbiform synflorescences, rarely solitary; peduncles 10-30 mm, sparsely hispidulous to villosulous, densely minutely stipitate glandular; bracts linear, entire. Involucres campanulate, 6-7 mm; phyllaries 3-seriate, unequal (to nearly subequal), abaxially glabrous or strigose, sparsely to densely minutely stipitate glandular (middle and inner phyllaries base eglandular), base hardened, midvein slightly translucent; outer phyllaries lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 2.5-6 × 0.5-0.8 mm, leaflike, margin barely to ± scarious, eciliate or sparsely ciliate, glandular, apex sometimes spreading or squarrose, acute, ciliate; middle phyllaries narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, 5-6 × 0.7-1.5 mm, margin narrowly scarious, tip green, sometimes leaflike, apex acute to acuminate, distal margin and apex ± purplish; inner phyllaries distally green, linear-oblong, 6-7 × 0.7-1.3 mm, margin broadly scarious, erose, apex sometimes acuminate, erose, sometimes purplish. Ray florets 18-30, white, tube sparsely strigillose, lamina 6-9 × 1-2.5 mm, eglandular; disk florets yellow, 4.5-5 mm, limb campanulate, 3-3.5 mm, proximally glabrous and sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, lobes erect, tip sometimes spreading, narrowly triangular, 1-1.3 mm, glabrous, tip sparsely minutely stipitate glandular. Achenes lanceolate, compressed, 3-4 mm, sparsely strigillose, sparsely to moderately minutely stipitate glandular apically, 2-ribbed. Pappus 4-seriate, reddish, of slender barbellate bristles; outermost bristles absent or 1, 0.2-0.3 mm; outer bristles 0-3, 1.2-2.5 mm; inner bristles 3.7-4 mm, tapering; innermost bristles 4-4.3 mm, barely clavate. Fl. and fr. Apr-Aug.

Aster auriculatus, especially the roots, is used medicinally to reduce phlegm and treat snakebites.

● Open forests, mixed forests, thickets, grasslands; 800-3000 m. Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Xizang (Zayü), Yunnan.